When madness has the upper hand
by Marems
Summary: Shou Tucker knew he needed to use a human to create the perfect chimera. He also knew that he needed someone who could give him good conditions. And Nina wasn't an option.
1. Chapter 1

Hi guys! Thought it was about time that I posted a fanfiction since I love reading and writing. And since I got really attached to FMA, why not write a fanfiction about it? I don't know the episode number, but I think you guys already know which episode this is. I thought this was one of the most horrible and disturbing episodes of FMA (still great though). I felt sorry for Nina, she was so young:( FYI (so you won't be confused) I've decided to make Ed older. He's fifteen in this story. I don't remember how old Nina is supposed to be, but in this, she's six years old. Hope you guys are okay with that. After all, this is a fanfiction. Since English isn't my native language, there might be spelling and grammatical errors. This won't be a long story and therefore there won't be any filler chapters. This mostly contains the part of the transmutation process.

Hope you enjoy the story:) I appreciate constructive criticism, but not flames.

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He was sitting there by the table and staring blankly in front of him, his head leaning against his hand. The other hand was slowly tapping an open book he had been reading intensely for hours. He had wandered away in thoughts, analyzing the information he recently had received from the book.

He had to have a chimera created in two days. A perfect chimera. Either that or lose everything. Lose his title as the life sewing alchemist, which also meant losing every privilege that came with it. He couldn't have that title taken away from him. There was so much more to it than anyone could understand. It meant he was smart and creative. It was a part of his personality and the thought of other stripping him of that was unbearable.

He stopped tapping the book and fisted his hand. His eyes felt moist.

His researches had confirmed what he already knew. The main key to create a perfect chimera was a human. It meant, to remain as the life sewing alchemist, he would have to use a human.

Again.

A heavy sigh left his lips. He really didn't want to do it again, commit such a taboo. The protests, cries and pleadings were still fresh in his mind. They had belonged to someone he had known for years. He had been married to her. It had been his wife and he had made her last time in life miserable.

She had been a nagging wench the last year in her life. Shou was normally a very patient man. However, that evening he had lost it. It was the evening before he was supposed to show the military his improvement on creating chimeras. Her quarreling and the pressure had been too much. A punch in her face was all that it had taken to send her into unconsciousness. Shou had looked at her still form and it was in that moment the idea had sprang to his head.

He had dragged her down to his laboratory in the basement and tied her to a chair. He hadn't felt the slightest guilty while drawing the transmutation circle and tying a dog to the chair. Creating a masterpiece and thus keep his title was more important than spending the rest of his life stripped of everything and, furthermore, with a person he almost hated.

At that time, Shou had almost wanted to smack himself for not thinking of using a human earlier. To create a chimera as smart as a human, he would of course have to use one as the main ingredient.

But it all had been so much harder as soon as his wife had come back to consciousness and realized what he was going to do. Guilt and hesitation had hit him when she started to cry and plead with him to stop. It had been so easy to keep distance from any feelings when she had been unconscious. But at that time, he couldn't let his feelings get in the way. And besides, it was too late to turn back. With no doubt, he would have been turned in to the police if he had released her. His life would have ended.

So he had decided to fulfill his spontaneous plan and in the next moment there was this dog before him. If it hadn't been for the dark hair running along its back and its ability to form a word, he would have thought that a transmutation never had occurred. The transmutation had been less dramatic than he had expected. Or, to be more correct, it hadn't been dramatic at all. The screams of his wife had died out as soon as his hands had touched the transmutation circle.

The chimera before him had been far from perfect. The vocabulary was unimpressive and so were its movements. It could only say his name and the word 'help'. Yet he had never been so proud over himself. The improvement had been incredible. He had actually managed to create a chimera that could form words. He was convinced that this would be enough to keep his title safe.

And he had been right.

The military had been impressed and praised him as a genius, unaware of the true story behind his creation. The chimeras lacking vocabulary and inability to form a coherent sentence kept it from telling the truth. And in a couple of days, it had died due to starvation since it had refused to eat. He had been questioned about this, but convinced the military that experiments meant trial and error. Nothing could ever be perfect the first times you tried it, so he had told them to be patient and promised that the next creation would be even better.

The next creation had to be ready in two days. He had to use a human. He had this mixed feeling when he thought back to that day. Pride and regret. It was contradictory. But one side had to win. It was obvious which. He was a scientist. Regret would have to step out of the way. Sometimes sacrifices had to be made to make this world a better place.

There was only one question remaining now. Who would be the one to be a part of his creation?

He suddenly became aware of the laughter outside the window. It was his daughter. He walked over to the window and saw her sitting on the back of this huge suit of armor. He had been so deep in thought that he had forgotten that the Elric brothers were here on visit.

His eyes landed on his daughter. A thought passed through his mind. Nina as a chimera. It was a disgusting and a horrible thought, but that wasn't the main reason to why he quickly dismissed it. Tucker didn't want to create something with the mind of a six year old. He needed someone older, someone that was smart and talented. Someone who could would give him good conditions.

As a sign, if he actually believed in such things, the older Elric brother suddenly appeared from seemingly nowhere.

"Al, I think we'd better head back to our hotel room," Ed said discretely while Nina was busy petting Alexander.

Al nodded in agreement, though he wanted to stay a little bit longer and play with the girl. This was one of the few times he had felt like a human kid. He wanted to stay in this moment. Even though he was an empty suit of armor and unable to show expressions, Ed knew. He could feel it. It was like it was radiating from the soul trapped inside the armor. No matter what Al said, Ed would still blame himself for putting his younger brother in such a cruel situation. Therefore he was determined to keep walking straight forward and find a way to restore his body.

Nina became sad and clung to Alphonse's leg when he told her that they had to go home. He quickly added that they would be coming back soon, maybe tomorrow, to play with her.

"You promise?" she asked.

"Promise," Alphonse affirmed. She seemed satisfied enough with the answer to let go off his leg. The two brothers led Nina and her dog into the house. Tucker was sitting in the library reading and got up to say bye before they left.

"You're welcome back boys. Just give me a call before you visit and I'll prepare a dinner," Tucker said and added a warm smile.

"Thank you so much Mr. Tucker. We're really grateful for your hospitality and for letting us use your library," Al said.

"It's nothing really. I hope you make some progress in your researches soon."

They waved bye to the Tucker family and headed back to their hotel.

"Tucker is such a nice man," Al said.

"Yeah," Ed agreed. He tried du suppress a yawn, but failed. Trying to find some clue on the philosopher's stone by reading books for hours was really exhausting. And frustrating. They hadn't found out much of use about it. They didn't know if it actually did exist, or if it was just a myth. Ed, however, didn't have much of a choice but to believe it did. If he didn't, he could as well give up on getting his brother's body back. Giving up was no option for Ed.

As soon as they got back to their hotel room, Ed threw himself on the bed.

"Nii-san, take off your shoes first," Al said with a sigh.

"Yeah yeah," Ed said and kicked them off.

"And your coat too."

"Seriously Al!" He protested.

"You can't sleep like that!"

"Watch me," Ed said and pulled the blanket over himself. He turned over so he was facing the wall.

"I'm gonna pull that off when you're sleeping."

"No, you're not," Ed mumbled.

Just a few minutes of silence and Ed was already deep in sleep. Al wasn't planning on letting his brother sleep with his outerwear on, so he walked over to the bed and carefully pulled down the blanket so he could take the coat off. Fortunately, Ed didn't wake up.

He hung the red coat up on a hook before he sat down on his own bed. Since he was a soul trapped inside an armor, he could never feel tired. He hadn't slept for years. It was no wonder he felt lonely and restless during the nights.

Al spent a few hours in their hotel room, until he felt too bored and restless. He left e note on the nightstand and went out for a long walk in the night.

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So, first chapter is up. I would really appreciate reviews so I know what you guys think about it :)


	2. Chapter 2

When Ed woke up the next morning, he saw no Al in the room. This wasn't the first time and he knew what Al was doing before he picked up the note on the nightstand.

'Out for a walk. I'll be back in the morning. Al'

Ed stood up and stretched before putting on his shoes and snatching his coat. The breakfast buffet was really tempting right now. Some scrambled eggs, sandwich with ham and orange juice would be nice. And of course, some chocolate cake afterwards.

He darted out of the room, but stopped abruptly by one of the phones. First he had to make a phone call to Shou Tucker. They would have to spend yet another day in his library to find some useful information about the philosopher's stone.

"Shou Tucker," the man answered after two signals.

"Hi, Mr. Tucker. It's Ed," he began.

"Oh, Edward! I was just about to call you!" the man said. "I think I've found something that might interest you!"

"Really? What is it?" Ed couldn't keep the curiosity from his voice and Tucker chuckled warmly.

"I think it's easier if you come over and see it for yourself, but it's something that might give you some clue in your research."

"Really? That's great! When can we come over?" Ed asked. He couldn't wait to see what it was.

"Right now if you want to." There was a short pause on the other line. "But this is something that I want to show you first, so don't tell Alphonse about this yet. I want to know what you think."

Ed thought about this for a moment. He didn't want to make his brother excited over something that might turn out to be a disappointment. It was better if he took a look at it at first.

"Alright, I'm coming over right now. Expect me in a few minutes!"

"See you soon then," Tucker said before Ed hung up.

Tucker sighed in relief. This was going smoothly right now. Nina was at her friends house to play during the day and Ed trusted him, no doubt about it. To fulfill his plan, he would have to take him by surprise. Rumors indicated that this wasn't a kid you fought down easily. Besides, fighting had never been Tucker's strong side.

Ed was standing by the outer door a few minutes later. He was panting since he had been running the whole way. He had decided to skip the breakfast buffet, which was very unlike him, but he had lost his appetite out of excitement and curiosity. And Tucker had always offered them something to eat when they were there on a visit.

He stood there catching his breath before knocking on the door, which soon opened, revealing the form of Shou Tucker. The man gave him a smile.

"You must have been running to get here that fast."

"Couldn't waste another minute," Ed replied and grinned. "Soo what do you want to show me?"

"It's in the library. There's a book on the table I want you to take a look at." Tucked gestured for Ed to come in. "You seemed really tired after yesterday so I thought I should lend you some help."

"Wow, that's really nice of you Mr. Tucker. You really didn't have to," Ed said, almost embarrassed. Tucker really was a nice man.

"It's nothing really. I'm a scientist after all. Researches are a part of my life," he said. "Why don't you go take a look and I'll prepare some coffee."

"Thanks." Ed headed for the library that was down the corridor. There on the table was an open book lying. He picked it up and began to read. Tucker's kindness was almost overwhelming. Ed had met few people as kind as him.

Therefore he was surprised when he felt something cold pressed against the back of his neck, followed by a stinging sensation. He whirled around, only to see Tucker standing in front of him. In his hand was something that resembled a gun, only smaller than a real one.

"What?" Ed asked utterly confused. His hand felt for his neck, wrapping around a small object and pulled it out. There was a small dart in his hand. Something was working its way through his veins right now.

"I'm so sorry for this, Edward," Tucker said.

Sorry for what? What was going on? What was he doing?

"What.. what are you doing?" His voice was slurred and he was feeling dizzy. "What have you done to me?"

The man said nothing. His form was becoming blurry. Ed realized that he needed to get out of here. Fast.

Tucker just watched as Ed stumbled past him out to the corridor, convinced that he wouldn't make it that far anyway. Ed's eyes were betraying him and so was his body. The legs were starting to feel numb and they soon gave out underneath him and he fell to the floor with a thud. He attempted to crawl the last meters, but failed as his muscles shut down completely. He was like an animal that had just been hunted down. The last thing Ed felt before the darkness swallowed him was a pair of hands gently lifting him up.

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I know this was a short chapter, but it just seemed good to cut it here. Chapter 3 will be up soon:)


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks a lot for the reviews guys! It means a lot to me to get feedback from you! Thanks for the info Harryswoman, I didn't know he actually was 15 in the manga and in brotherhood. For some reason I was convinced he was 12. Maybe it was in 2003 anime.. oh well, on to chapter three!

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The throbbing Ed felt in his head the moment he regained consciousness was awful. It was like he had a hangover. Not that he had that experience, but he could imagine. He wanted to reach up and rub his forehead, but realized that he couldn't move. To his horror he saw that his arm and legs were strapped to a chair he was sitting on. To make matters worse, his automail arm had been removed. There was something in his mouth, something soft, probably a cloth. He tried to push it out with his tongue, but to no avail since it had been tied behind his neck. He started to pull against the restraints, but they wouldn't budge. They seemed to be made of metal. It was almost ironic. He, the Full_metal_ alchemist, could easily decompose metal with _two free_ hands.

Ed stopped pulling and thought for a moment. He couldn't remember how he had gotten himself into this situation. Had he done something reckless?

No.

He had turned his back against a man he thought he could trust. The man had given him the impression that he was kind and trustworthy. Heck, he had even been introduced to this man by the Colonel. Yet, here he was, bound and gagged, not knowing why or what was going to happen.

Ed looked around at his surroundings. It seemed like he was in a basement, judging from the state this room was in. There was a weak light coming from a lamp that was placed on a table nearby. He was grateful to at least be able to see.

That is until he noticed something on the floor, something that he had seen many times before. Ed's eyes widened and he gasped in shock as he realized that he was sitting in the middle of a transmutation circle. He had never drawn a circle like this himself, but he had seen it a couple of times in the books he had been reading.

This circle was for creating chimeras.

"No.." Ed said, voice muffled by the gag. He started to pull furiously against the restraints, but it just bit into his wrist, making it sore. This couldn't be happening. Shou Tucker couldn't possibly be planning something like this.

"Stop it, Edward," a familiar voice said calmly and he stopped to turn his head so he could face the man responsible for putting him in this situation.

In the doorway was Tucker standing with a leash in his hand. Attached to it was Alexander. It only took a few seconds for Ed to put it together and he started to protest as the man walked down the stairs to Ed and kneeled down in front of him.

"Guess you've already figured it out then," the man said while tying the leash to the leg of the chair. Ed tried to kick him in the face, but was prevented by the restraints.

He stood up and watched the boy for a moment. Things had really gone according to plan. He had sneaked up behind the boy and drugged him. Hours later, he had given him another dose of the effective drug since he didn't want him to wake up until the evening. Evening was the time he could continue with the most critical part, the transmutation process. During the day, he had to prepare the transmutation circle and then cook dinner for his daughter before putting her in bed. It would be unnecessary suffering for Ed to be awake during those hours when he didn't need him to be. After all, he didn't consider himself as a heartless man.

"I'm really sorry about this, Edward. I didn't want to have to force you into this, but asking was not an option. I knew you wouldn't come willingly if I had just introduced my idea to you," he said. "So please forgive me for doing this."

Ed couldn't believe what he was hearing. Forgive him?!

"I didn't really want to do this again." Tucker bit his tongue and eyed Ed nervously out of the corner of his eye when he said the last sentence. He didn't know why he let that slip, but he surely shouldn't have said that. Ed was a smart kid who could easily figure out what he meant by that.

"However, I'm sure you'll thank me afterwards. You can be the perfect chimera with capacity beyond a human!" he quickly added, not sure if Ed actually had paid any attention to what he had just admitted.

Ed just stared at the man like he was out of his mind.

"But there's one thing you need to do if we're going to achieve that goal. If I'm correct, and I'm sure I am, you need to be concentrated during the transmutation process. You see, you're going to be one with Alexander here," he said and gestured to the dog, which was scratching itself behind its ear. "I want you to be my first human-looking chimera." His eyes suddenly seemed darker. "But if you resist, you might end up looking like Alexander here." He paused for a moment. "Or end up dead."

It was getting hard to breathe. There wasn't much Ed was scared of since he had endured a lot during the years. After all, he had lost an arm and a leg because of a failed transmutation process, been sent on dangerous missions and stared death in the eye a couple of times. But this was a completely different experience. Being bound to a chair stripped him of the control he usually had. He could as well just lean back and let it happen since the chance of breaking free was zero. He couldn't scream or even try to talk himself out of this situation. His only hope was that Tucker would change his mind or that someone would come and rescue him. Problem was that not even Al knew he was here.

"And another thing. Since I know about you and your brother's little secret, it would be wise of you to not tell anyone that I forced you into this. You don't want me to spill that secret and end up losing your baby brother forever, right?"

If he had been free, he would have punched the madman multiply times in the face for threatening him like that. But judging from the situation he was in, Tucker was having the upper hand.

"Now I just need to add a few details and the circle is complete," the man said more to himself than to Ed. He watched as Tucker kneeled down and began to draw the last parts of the circle.

Now he lost it. He began to struggle frantically in the chair and yelled in frustration and fear through the gag. Tucker pretended as if nothing and started to add the last details to the circle. This was easier than when he had done the same thing a few years earlier. Even though he felt sorry for the boy, it wasn't like that day when he had felt regret. He was sure he was doing this for good purpose. He was even convinced that Ed would be the perfect human-looking chimera if he would just cooperate. Ed would thank him in the end for giving him new abilities.

Ed, however, was seeing things differently. He could see the image of himself trapped inside the dog's body and it made him feel sick. He could as well die if it was going to end that way.

Suddenly he felt Alexander's nose against his hand and he looked down at the dog. It was trying to comfort him. The dog didn't know what an awful fate that awaited for both of them. Against his will, he felt this familiar burning sensation in his eyes. Tears of anger, fear and frustration threatened to spill and he did his best to blink them away. Alexander tilted his head and whimpered. Ed couldn't help but let a few tears run down his cheeks. The hopelessness and the dog sitting there comforting him were overwhelming.

Just then, the door to the basement opened.

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Someone coming to Ed's rescue? You'll find out in the next chapter ;) Reviews would be nice :)


	4. Chapter 4

Ed turned his head to see who it was and Tucker immediately got up to his knees, eyes wide in nervousness. He calmed down a bit when he saw who it was, but mentally face palmed himself for forgetting to lock the door.

"Nina! You're not allowed into the basement unless you have my permission!" he said sternly.

In the doorway was his daughter standing, rubbing her eyes.

"I'm so sorry daddy, I forgot! I can't sleep and I couldn't find you anywhere else," the girl said innocently. It was rather dark in the basement, but there was enough light for her to see that they had a visitor.

"Ed?" Nina asked surprised. She then looked utterly confused to see him bound and gagged with moist eyes. Ed tried to say something, but Tucker was already up the stairs. He almost stumbled. Ed desperately hoped he would fall down and break his neck or something.

"C'mon Nina, let's put you back to sleep," the man said warmly, as if nothing unusual was going on. He gently pushed her out, closed the door behind him and then led Nina to her room.

"Dad, what are you two doing? Why did Ed look so sad? And why is Alexander there?" she asked and looked up at him questioningly.

Even though Tucker was annoyed and a bit nervous over the fact that she had seen that scene, he also knew it was easy to manipulate a child her age. He was her father after all and everything he said would make sense.

"Ed is feeling sick and I'm helping him to get healthy again. It's very painful for him and that's why he looked sad. Alexander is there to comfort him. You know he's good at that," Tucker said and looked down at her with a smile. "Ed will be happy as soon all of this is over. You just have to promise daddy to not tell anyone about this. Ed wouldn't like anyone to know about this."

Nina looked up at her dad with big eyes.

"You promise you'll make him better so he can be happy again?"

"I promise," Tucker assured. It felt absurd to tell such an apparent lie. He would have been screwed if she had been older. She was in that age where everything her dad did was the right thing, no matter what the situation looked like.

Nina climbed back in her bed once they reached her room. Tucker pulled the blanket up to her chin and kissed her forehead.

"Now be a good girl and try to get some sleep. Daddy is going back to help Ed," he said and Nina nodded.

"Can you leave the light on in the hall? It's scary when it's dark." She looked at him pleadingly.

"Of course, dear." He patted her head before leaving the room.

Nina climbed out of her bed as soon as her dad's footsteps couldn't be heard. She pulled out one of the drawers in the nightstand and took out a small note before sneaking out into the hall. She climbed up on a chair and reached for the phone on the table. Holding up the note in front of her, she started to dial the number to Ed's and Al's hotel. Al had scribbled it down a few days earlier and told her to call them if she wanted anything. Her dad had told her not to tell anyone, but it couldn't hurt to tell Ed's own brother that he was sick and probably needed his support.

Ed had been sitting in the basement with Alexander for what seemed like forever. He had felt a little hope the moment he had seen Nina in the doorway. It all had died after Tucker had rushed up the stairs and closed the door behind him. Ed should have known better than relying on a six year old girl who was this madman's daughter. For Nina, Tucker was the perfect father. He could come up with lie and she would still believe him. It was absurd how he could be such a loving father, yet do this to a fifteen year old boy.

His heart started to hammer in his chest when he heard the door open and close again, this time followed by a 'click'. A sigh could be heard from the man and he soon appeared in front of him. He was rubbing his forehead while looking down at the transmutation circle.

"Alright, just a few more things and then it's complete," he mumbled kneeling down and started to draw the last lines. Nothing would interrupt him now. He shut out the muffled protests and concentrated on finishing the circle. Everything had to be perfect if he was going to create the perfect masterpiece. He couldn't afford being careless and spontaneous. Everything had to be planned.

It took a ridiculously long time to draw the last lines since he was a perfectionist. He stood up and looked down at the now complete transmutation circle in satisfaction. It looked beautiful and he felt like patting himself on the shoulder for doing a great job so far. Ed didn't seem to agree to that though. The boy was a miserable mess and the dog was whimpering uneasily, utterly clueless to what was going on.

The man couldn't help but feel a little bit sorry. He walked over to Ed and tried to pet him on the head, but Ed just flinched away when he felt his touch. The golden moist eyes glared at him.

"Edward," Tucker began with a sigh. "If this is going to work, I need you to cooperate. It's for your own best. Stop resisting."

Ed shook his head furiously and a growl that sounded like 'no' was heard. Tucker sighed in annoyance and rubbed his temples. They couldn't go on like this the whole night.

"Listen Ed, just stop resisting and concentrate. I'm absolutely _sure _you'll be _grateful _once this is over and you realize that I have practically _given_ you new abilities! They will be very helpful on your journey."

"No! I don't want this!" Ed tried to yell. Something snapped inside the man and before he could prevent himself, he had slapped the boy across the face and grabbed him by the chin.

"Fine! Have it your way then and _die _if you would like! Then you can forget restoring your brother's body!" He practically spat out the words in his face before letting go and turning his back against him.

Ed watched in horror as Tucker did one last check to see if everything was alright. He picked up a notebook from the table and flipped through the pages, studying some pages more carefully. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth and he nodded approvingly before putting it back on the table.

"No," Ed said and then started to yell as the man positioned himself in front of the circle. "No! Stop! Don't do this! I don't want this! Stop it!"

Alexander whimpered and put his head in Ed's lap, but he just stared at the dog with wild eyes.

"Stupid dog! Get away from here! Don't you realize what's going to happen?!"

Tucker held his hands in front of him, ready to activate the circle. Ed screamed like mad through the gag while tears leaked from his eyes. Never in his life had he felt so defenseless. He was in the hands of an insane man and could do nothing about it.

"This is it then," Tucker said with an expectantly smile on his face and was just a few inches from activating the process. Ed closed his eyes, not wanting to see this.

He suddenly heard something burst and could see a flash of light from behind his eyelids. The transmutation must have started.

A loud, pained scream filled the room.

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We're getting closer to the end of this story hehehe.

And thank you soooooo much for the favs and reviews! It makes it so much more fun to write this!:D I'll do my best to get chapter 5 up asap:)


	5. Chapter 5

To Ed's surprise, there was no pain and the scream didn't come from his own throat.

Ed's eyes snapped open, just in time to see Tucker fall backwards onto his back. Golden eyes blinked in confusion. The man was lying on his back, whimpering and holding his hands in the air. They were meaty and reeking. Had he burned his hands?

Unfamiliar people dressed in military uniform suddenly rushed down the stairs towards the man and hauled him to his feet. Someone, or rather something was barking right next to him. He looked down to see Alexander watching the men with bared teeth. Did Tucker never have time to activate the process?

Someone was suddenly by his side and talking to him. He couldn't understand a single word that was said, but he recognized the person talking to him. It was Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes. It was then it clicked. Tucker's burned hands must have been Colonel Roy Mustang's work.

Hughes green eyes held concern and he reached behind his neck to untie the gag. Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye soon arrived by his side and tried to remove the strap from his wrist.

"We're going to get you out of here, Edward. Don't worry," Hughes assured while helping Hawkeye remove the straps from his legs.

He was saved. It was unbelievable.

"Thank you," he whispered and lowered his head to hide his tearstained face. It was shameful for him to show them his vulnerable side.

It took a moment before they finally managed to get the restraints off from him. Hawkeye offered him her hand to help him stand up, but he just shook his head. He wanted to keep what little pride was still left. That meant, walk by himself and not burst into tears in front of Colonel Mustang and his team.

But the moment he had gotten out from the basement and saw Al standing in front of him, it was getting hard to hold it back. If they had been a few seconds too late, he would probably never have been able to make things right.

"Nii-san!" Al exclaimed, relieved to see that they had gotten there in time. He noticed that his brother was shaking slightly and staring down at the floor. Al had seen this before and decided it was better to just stay quiet. He would probably push a button that would make his brother burst into tears and Al knew that Ed couldn't allow himself to cry in front of these people.

Two men dragged Tucker past Ed. The man was staring at the floor, not wanting to face anyone. Ed watched the man from under his bangs. And suddenly, a thought hit him. He hadn't thought about it earlier since he had been so busy fearing for his own life.

"Wait!" he said and the men stopped moving. Ed walked over to Tucker who was still staring at the floor. It was a horrible thought that had crossed his mind and it was a serious accusation, but after what Tucker had tried to do to him, he couldn't care less.

"You have done this before, haven't you?"

The man still didn't look up and it made Ed feel angry. This man was nothing but an egoistic coward.

"You had a wife. You said she left you." Ed took a deep breath. He was shaking in anger, convinced about what he was about to say next. "She didn't leave you willingly." He had to take a short pause. "You.. you made her a chimera."

Finally, Tucker slowly looked up from the floor and stared the boy straight in the eyes. The look in those eyes said it all, he didn't even try to hide it. It was like he wanted it to come out.

Ed would have needed those restraints now, because no one had time to react before he had thrown himself over the man. Without his automail, he used his left arm to punch Tucker in the face over and over again. He was mad with anger.

"You sick, disgusting _bastard_!" Ed yelled as someone roughly pulled him away from the bloody mess he had created. "Let go of me!"

"Nii-san, stop it! You'll kill him!" It was Al who was holding him back.

"He made her a chimera! His own wife!"

"Alphonse," Roy Mustang said, who had been watching the scene from the doorway. "Get your brother out of the house, now."

Al gladly obeyed his order and carried the trashing and screaming form of his brother out into the night. He didn't set Ed down until he had stopped squirming in his grip.

The military carried out the bloody and beaten form of Shou Tucker and placed him in one of the waiting cars. Al discretely blocked the view so Ed couldn't face the scene that would make him mad again. Ed sat down on the grass and rested his forehead against his only hand. Al looked at his brother's wrist and noticed that it had nasty marks. It seemed like he had been strapped down and Al would have shuddered if he could.

The suit of armor sat down next to his brother. They sat there in silence for a moment until Hawkeye appeared in front of them.

"We found it in the house. It seems to be unharmed," she said and handed Ed's automail to Al instead since Ed seemed to be paying more attention to his feet than anything else.

"Thank you," Al said and Riza just nodded before leaving the two alone. Al inspected the arm before staring blankly in front of him. It would be painful to connect the automail, so he decided it was better to do it later.

Roy Mustang was standing a few feet away watching the Elric brothers. He couldn't help but feel responsible for this. If he hadn't introduced the brothers to Tucker, none of this would have happened. It was pure luck they had gotten there in time. He didn't want to think about what could have happened if they had been just a few seconds too late.

"I couldn't do anything," Ed suddenly murmured. "If.. if you hadn't come.. I.." He had to swallow a lump that had formed in his throat. "I don't know what could have happened."

Al looked at his brother in concern.

"Nii-san.."

"I can't see what I did wrong to end up in that situation. I didn't do anything reckless. I just.. he said he had something that might help us in our research. And of course I wanted to check it out. I never thought that it could be a trap." Ed was shaking and he leaned his head down to hide the tears streaming down his cheeks. "Did I miss something? Should I've realized that?"

Al didn't know what to answer. If he said yes, then Ed would feel stupid for missing that. If he said no, then that would mean he admitted there was no way Ed could foresee something like this in the future. Al decided to give the honest and realistic answer.

"No."

Even though Ed was stubborn on keeping his eyes hidden, he couldn't hide the fact that he was crying now. Al could hear the sobs coming from his older brother. To show his support, he put a hand on the back of his brother.

"I.. I just realized that I'm nothing but a puny human. I couldn't foresee it.. couldn't even save myself," he said between sobs. Al couldn't come up with anything to say, so he remained quiet.

When Ed seemed calm enough, Colonel Mustang decided it was a good time to interrupt.

"It's getting late. You head back to your hotel and get some sleep. And Fullmetal," he said looking directly at Ed. "I expect you at my office one o' clock tomorrow."

Ed didn't look up, but nodded. He knew he would have to give details on what Shou Tucker did.

Hughes offered the brothers to stay at his home during the night. Before Ed could utter an answer, Al did.

"Yes, thank you."

Ed didn't protest.

The ride to Hughes apartment was short and quiet. His wife and daughter had already gone to sleep when they arrived.

"You two can take the guestroom next to Elysia's room," Hughes whispered. Ed's tired eyes snapped open and his body tensed at this, suddenly remembering something very important.

"Nina!" he exclaimed, panic in voice and eyes. Hughes put a calming hand on his shoulder.

"She's alright, Ed," he assured. "Now go and get some sleep. It has been a tough day for you. There's extra toothbrushes in the cabinet in the bathroom."

Ed relaxed and nodded.

"Thanks."

Ed washed his mouth after brushing his teeth and then stared at his own reflection in the mirror for a moment. If they hadn't come, he probably wouldn't be standing here and see his own face in the mirror. A shiver ran through his spine at the thought of something else staring back at him. He switched the light off and quietly walked down the hall to the guestroom. Al was already in there, sitting on a chair and staring out the window, but turned to face his brother.

"I was so worried about you, nii-san," Al began quietly, not wanting to wake anyone up. "I was convinced you had gone to Tucker's house, so I went there and asked if you had showed up."

Ed stripped down to his boxers and slipped into the bed. His eyes were locked on the ceiling.

"He told me he hadn't seen you, but promised to call if you showed up. I never suspected anything." Al was now looking at Ed. "I'm so sorry I didn't realize sooner, nii-san!"

Ed turned his surprised gaze to the suit of armor that seemed to be shaking.

"Al.."

"It was when Nina called and told me Tucker had said he was trying to make you healthy again that I understood something was horribly wrong. I called the Colonel immediately," Al explained.

"Nina called?" Ed asked in surprise.

"Yeah, she wanted me to come over and support you. Since I'm your brother."

Ed smiled a little at this.

"I just wish I had realized things sooner. I'm so sorry I didn't."

Ed got up from the bed and walked over to his younger brother. He put a hand on his shoulder and Al looked up.

"Stop saying that, Al. Please," he begged. "You didn't know what he was capable of and neither did I. You said it yourself earlier, remember?"

Al sighed.

"Yeah, but still. I.. I was so close to losing you. I can't stand that thought."

"But you didn't," Ed pointed out. "I'm standing here, perfectly fine."

"Yeah and I'm grateful for that." He suddenly stood up and smacked his brother across the face. Ed instinctively put his flesh hand to his cheek and stared at Al in shock.

"Hey! What was that for?"

"Next time you better tell me where you're going!" He then pulled Ed into a tight hug, almost squishing him. "So this won't have to happen again."

Ed relaxed and leaned his head against Al. This was the first time the brothers had hugged each other since Al had been put in the armor.

"Thank you, Al," Ed whispered.

The next day, after having connected the automail and having breakfast and lunch with the Hughes family, he was sitting in the Colonel's office. Al was waiting outside since he had insisted on following his brother. Ed had explained exactly what had happened and Mustang had listened without interrupting.

"And then you came," Ed finished, staring intensely at his clenched fists.

There was a moment of silence while Mustang wrote on a piece of paper.

"And how are you feeling, Fullmetal?"

Ed hadn't expected that question and looked at Mustang, dumfounded.

"Uh, what? What do you mean?"

Roy put the pen down and was now looking at Ed.

"I believe that what happened yesterday must have been a traumatic experience for you."

"Not really," Ed said and folded his arms over his chest, leaning back in the couch. "And since when do you care anyway," he mumbled, staring at his feet.

Roy didn't say anything and let the silence fill the room. He had expected that kind of response from the boy anyway.

"Colonel," the boy suddenly began, still looking at his feet. "Do... do you think he could have done something like this to Nina?"

The same thought had crossed Roy's mind when he was lying in his bed, trying to get some sleep. It was horrible to think that Tucker would be capable of doing such a thing to his own daughter. But after witnessing the scene from yesterday, the thought didn't seem impossible. Roy decided to keep that thought to himself though.

"I don't think we should speculate too much. It's hard to imagine what that man was thinking. And besides, we won't get any answers on that anyway," he answered, waiting for the boy to catch what he had just said. Ed looked up at him questioningly, just as he had expected.

"What do you mean?"

"Shou Tucker was murdered yesterday."

Ed's eyes widened in shock and he gaped. It was unexpected news.

"What? By who? How?"

"We know that alchemy must be involved. It looked like he had exploded from the inside out," Roy explained. "The guards were killed in the same way. A witness saw a man close to the building shortly afterwards. According to the witness he had a cross-shaped scar on his face."

Ed thought for a moment. It didn't disturb him that much that Shou Tucker was dead, considering what he had tried to do to him and actually had done to his wife. What disturbed him was the fact that an unknown man had managed to get past the guards, then murder the man and was now still on the loose.

"We don't know this person's motives. But we're sure it was Tucker and not the guards he was after."

Ed nodded, thinking the same thing.

"And what happens to Nina?" he asked, concern in his tone.

"She has an aunt and an uncle. They haven't seen her for years, so they'll take care of her. They are coming to pick her up later today," Roy answered, suddenly seeming interested in the papers below him.

"Can I see her?"

Just the question Roy had expected.

"No." he said shortly.

"Why?" The question was almost childish.

"Considering what happened yesterday and the fact that her father was killed. She's not in the best state right now. I don't think I have to give you further explanation."

Ed didn't argue. Even though it couldn't possibly be his fault that it had ended up like this for Nina, he understood. Her illusionary world had just crashed down on her. She couldn't understand it now, but she would maybe understand when she grew older.

He left the office and walked over to Al who was sitting against the wall. Al saw the sad look on his brother's face and wanted to ask, but Ed just shook his head. He didn't want to explain right now. Right now he just wanted to get out of this building and try to get focus back to what they were here for.

Restore their bodies.

* * *

And that was the last chapter! This turned out to be the hardest part to write and unfortunately I'm not really satisfied with the end. I didn't want to end it too abruptly, but neither make it too long. As you can see I didn't turn Ed into a chimera (which was planned from the beginning). Hope you're not too disappointed about it.  
And once again, thank you sosososososo much for reviews/favs! I'm currently working on a new fic. It's just too much fun to write hehehe. Aah damn.. I don't even know how I should end this. So I will just end it here ;P


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